Remaining Creative in Difficult Times
An Action Plan for the Melancholics out There
Those of us out of work during this pandemic keep hearing how we should use this time to hone our skills and pursue personal projects. Well, that does sound great. But I dare say that most of us in the creative field tend towards a melancholic temperament, which means our weaknesses include being prone to depression and pessimism and being deeply affected by tragedy. So “use this time to be creative” sounds like an empty platitude to many of us right now! Intellectually we may know this is good advice, but it proves difficult to put into action.
I have continued to pick up my camera every day to photograph something. After all, it is spring and the flowers are blooming and the weather is beautiful. Yet I felt little motivation and I was not pleased with what I was capturing. I started a little ritual that has proven helpful and I thought it worth sharing in case there are other creatives out there who are struggling to create during this down time.
Before I go to bed each night I think about what I want to photograph the next day. Then I start looking in magazines and Pinterest for inspiration. When I find a set up or idea that appeals to me I jot it down in a little notebook I started just for that purpose. I don’t write down enough to copy another’s work, just something in that image that appealed to me. For example, when I planned to make strawberry muffins and knew I wanted to photograph them I looked through muffin and cupcake photos. What I jotted in my notebook was:
close up on wire rack
overhead in old muffin tin
one on plate with butter knife
prep shot
top view with muffin on plate with napkin underneath and strawberries scattered around
muffins on wire rack with old recipe book beside
close up of muffins on wire rack with strawberries out of focus beside
white backboard and white wood table; wood cutting board and bowl
top view of muffins on narrow cutting board with one open
muffin on plate with coffee
I also have a few books on color for inspiration. If I know I’m shooting a certain color, I’ll look through those books to get an idea of what looks good with it. My favorite one is In the Mood for Colour by Hans Blomquist. I also rely heavily on The Color Scheme Bible by Anna Starmer. I have to thank Denise Love of 2 Lil Owls, an excellent photographer and teacher, for introducing me to those books. I purchased both of them through ThriftBooks.com. I also have a large sketch pad where I’ve cut out photos from magazines and arranged them by color. I get ideas for compositions as well as colors from it.
You see there isn’t enough information in my list to encourage copying someone’s work, but a plan is in place. I think having that plan in place overnight encourages the creativity the following day. (Another characteristic of the Melancholic temperament is excessive planning!) I wake up looking forward to what I plan to shoot each day and an idea of where to start. During the shoot I probably won’t use all the ideas and others are added as I go along. Having the framework of the shoot encourages and enables creativity within it. I’ve found that without my nightly “prep” I’m not very inspired to do much of anything the next day but worry about the current situation.
Here’s a sampling of what I captured during the strawberry muffin shoot after making my list.
As usual, I liked some of the images better than others, but at least I had some I liked. After days of producing nothing, it was good to finally feel a bit creative.
I also keep a list of things in the notebook I want to photograph.
I hope this little coping mechanism will help someone else struggling to be creative. It’s easy to say, “be creative.” It’s sometimes difficult to know exactly where to start when the world as we know it is changing by the hour.
Please feel free to share other ways you’ve found to encourage your creativity as we walk through this dark time together.
Stay home! Stay safe! Many, many thanks to those who are continuing to work to provide us with necessities during this time and to care for the sick. May God and the government bless you for your sacrifice!